Pen turning questions

[Martin S.]

So, my son comes home from college and wants to turn a pen for his girlfriend.

I have not turned a pen in several years, so we will have to learn how to do it again.

I used to have problems drilling the blanks. Sometimes they were not straight, sometimes they got wallowed out a little.

I was using a drill press, but I read somewhere that a better idea is to use the lathe.

So, has anyone done this, I mean, drilled the blank on the lathe?

Any hints or tips appreciate.

He is also using a blue "plastic" (not sure what kind, he bought it at WC) blank. I think we need to paint the tubes, to make sure they don't show through.

So, is any kind of enamel paint ok?

Any problems getting glue to stick to the paint?

I think for the plastic, we will use CA glue, unless someone says that is a bad idea.

Sorry for so many questions.

Thanks,

Martin

[chips ahoy]

Martin

Get a Jacobs chuck for your lathe, hole the blank in a chuck jaws and drill at a low speed backing out to clear the chips. I use white acrylic craft paint to paint the tubes. No problems getting the CA to stick, get them in fast. Best of luck and if you need further help let me know.

Mel

[SteveS]

As Mel has noted, drilling on the lathe produces better results because the blank is fixed in place along the axis of the drill by the chuck on the headstock.

Brad point bits usually work best, IME, but I also have parabolic flutes drills and regular twist drills I use when BP bits are not available or too expensive. I don't recall if there is a recommended practice for plastic blanks.

[JTTHECLOCKMAN]

hello Martin

If you have done this before than most of which will come back to you. I will go over a few points.

Yes drilling on a lathe is the best way to get a true hole. The best chuck to hold a pen blank is this.
https://www.pennstateind.com/store/CSCPENCHK.html
But if you are only doing one or two pens you probably will not buy this. So whatever chuck you use just make sure it sits square in it. Mark a center mark in your blank and put a dead center in the tailstock for reference. As you tighten the chuck up keep the center point on the center mark from your tailstock. Now the blank is clamped.

Do not use and I stress this again do not use brad point bits. You are drilling acrylic. This material gets hot when drilled so you need to be careful of keeping the bit cool and cleared of swarf from the bit. I used DNA to keep my bits cool. You can use water. but keep lathe bed covered so it does not rust. Drill slow. Many times you can have a blow-out of the end of the blank if you drill too fast or if bits are dull. Many people solve this by not drilling all the way through the blank. Leave a small section on the end and you can cut this off when you size the blank for the tubes.

After the blank is drilled. Take some 400 or 600 grit sandpaper and wrap around a dowel and gently sand the inside of the tube to get rid of any drilling marks. These may show up if the blank is translucent enough. No need to paint the tubes but it is a good idea to paint the inside of the blank. You can use whatever color matches the blank or you can make the blank stand out by using white or silver. Different colored paints can give a blank a different look if translucent enough. If the blank is opaque enogh than the paint will not show through.

As far as glueing goes. If you are going to use CA then med or thick is OK. I prefer 5 min. epoxy. Epoxy is a bit more forgiving because it has flex to it as CA dries brittle. Either glue will stick to the paint. I like to use Testors enamel paints. Any acrylic paint will work. Just make sure after you paint the inside of the blank that the tube slides in easily. You may have to enlarge the hole some if the paint is too thick. Fill the tube with some putty or something so it does not get glue in it as you slide the tube in the blank. Work the tube around to make sure of good coverage inside the blank. That is crucial so that it does not let go when turning. Then wait for glue to dry and cure. Do not be in a hurry.

I assume you will have a pen mandrel with the proper bushings. Use sharp tools. If the blank is square you may want to hit the corners on a sander before mounting on the lathe. This will help in the stress on the blank as you turn it.

Sand and polish as usual. Before pressing the components in, make sure there is no glue residue left in the tubes and make sure the ends are trued to the blank and no burrs are left on the tubes. keep parts straight and true as you press them in. These things should be familar to you if you have done pens before. Good luck and happy turning.

[AHill]

Ditto to what the others said. I agree that brad point drills on acrylics are more prone to cause blowout on the back end. Make sure you have a pen mill or some means to face off the ends. If you blank is fairly translucent, you will want to paint the tube before glueing it in. I have turned translucent blue blanks with brass tubes and you could definitely see the brass color after turned and polished. If you can shine a flashlight inside the drilled out blank and see light out the outside, that's a good indication you'll need to paint the tube. The color of paint does affect how the blank looks after turning. For blue, I prefer either a chrome barrel (you have to purchase this), or paint it black or white. White will reflect more. Black will make it look more opaque.

If you are going to drill the blank on the lathe with a Jacobs chuck, make absolutely sure the tailstock is aligned with the headstock. If it isn't, the hole will not be on the same axis as the blank, and you'll get an off center turning. And, I will emphasize that you need to keep the bit and blank cool while drilling. Go slow. You can use compressed air to cool the blank.

Also, when turning, slow is key for acrylics. Don't get aggressive, or you'll blow out chunks of the acrylic while drilling. I wet sand my acrylics with micromesh all the way to the 12,000 grit, followed by a plastic polish such as EEE. Same rules apply as for wood - between grits, stop the lathe and sand along the length to get rid of the circumferential scratches. Use good lighting. Sometimes you won't see those scratches until you've polished the blank.

Good luck!

[Martin S.]

Thanks for all the responses so far, keep them coming.

Looks like I need to make a trip back to WC to get some more stuff.

Naturally the WC store moved from 40 minutes away to over an hour away a few years ago.

Both my son and I have turned pens for the troops before, but he was younger, and the kits were slimline and less complicated.

[Martin S.]

Well it was going along great until we forgot to scuff sand the brass tubes.

One already let go, while we were flushing up the ends. We are going to let the rest dry overnight, and see if they will hold.

I am having my son use a brace and bit to flush the ends, because that way he has more control and is less likely to go "too deep" and cut into the brass tube too far.

If letting the 5 minute epoxy cure over night does not work, we will redo the ones that let go with new tubes that have been scuff sanded this time.

The drilling on the lathe worked great.

The DNA was really useful for cooling the bit, as suggested.

I appreciate all of the great advice.

[chips ahoy]

Martin
I think you will have to scuff the tubes. Just remove them, scuff them, repaint and glue back in. I have heard of that happening.
Mel

[Arlin Eastman]

Looks like you got a lot of help from everyone.

On putting in the brass tubes I put the CA or Epoxy half way in and out of the tube a few times and then add some on the other side of the tube and reinsert the tube into the other end.
That way both sides of the blank is well coated with glue.
Also reading instructions what needs to be cut and where and how to assemble it is very necessary.

On the end mill trimmer for the ends I make sure the ends are sharp by using a diamond hone and put the blank into a vise so it does not move. The faster the drill goes with the mill attached the better but do not apply it hard but lightly so it is not chipped or cut to much.

Last

Enjoy your time with your son.

Arlin